Overreaction Of The Week: Orioles Future Managerial Search

Welcome to Overreaction Of The Week, my over the top, uninhibited, Baltimore sports-fan takes on this week’s Orioles activity.

What Happened?

As I’ve brought up before, it’s a foregone conclusion that Buck Showalter will not be the Orioles manager in 2019. When exactly that transition will happen is up in the air. Whether he is in the organization’s front office or the head coach at his alma mater, Mississippi State, the Orioles will need to find his replacement. The new manager will take over a roster that is likely drastically different that this year’s but who is the best candidate for the job?

The Analysis

There have been a few managerial searches that the Orioles can use as a model for their own. The Nationals, Yankees, Red Sox, as well as others, all hired new managers and have seen great success so far. That may be because of their talented rosters, but they have all put their fingerprints on their wins. Dave Martinez, Aaron Boone, and Alex Cora have a few similarities. They are all analytics guys, which has become the norm in managerial searches. Though they’re baseball guys, they’ve bought into the analytics and are willing to use the numbers to make decisions. The other thing they have in common, is that they’ve won as players and/or coaches. Martinez was on the Rays World Series staff and the Cubs championship staff. Boone hit one of the most iconic home runs in ALCS history to send the Yankees to the World Series and Cora is a two time World Series champion. The Orioles should look for similar characteristics, here are three guys to keep in mind:

Raul Ibanez – Former Outfielder and Dodgers’ front office: It feels like just yesterday that Ibanez broke the Orioles hearts with home runs in the playoffs. But, he has an intriguing post-playing career as a member of the Dodgers’ front office, as special assistant to the President of Baseball operations that the Orioles should be interested in. According to FanSided, his role in the front office included “scouting prospects, signing free agents, overall player development and instituting analytic reports”. That seems like the perfect combination of what the Orioles would be looking for in a manager of a young team.

David Ross – Broadcaster, former catcher: David Ross was a key piece in the Cubs World Series championship. so he’s got the winning thing going for him. He was very well liked in the clubhouse throughout his career. If the Orioles have a younger, less experienced roster, Ross’s personal touch could be exactly what the team needs. As a former catcher, I’m more than optimistic about his baseball mind, and being a player on a team that won during the analytics age should make him a prime candidate sometime soon.

John Russel – Orioles Bench Coach: We must consider an internal option here. Russell has been Buck’s right hand man since the beginning, operating as the bench coach since 2011. He does have previous managerial experience, going 186-299 as the Pirates manager from 2008 – 2010. If Showalter does indeed move to the front office, it would make for great rapport to have his old bench coach remain in the dugout as the manager.

The Overreaction

I’ll be very interested in pursuing Raul Ibanez as a candidate. His experience in the front office has given him the knowledge and tools he needs to build the Orioles back up. His successful playing career and success in big moments will allow him to relate to a young and eager team. He seems like a great candidate to replace Buck Showalter long-term. The questions at this point remain, when will a change need to occur? And will the Orioles be able to attract a top candidate? We can certainly hope so.

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Tejus Kulkarni is a writer for the Baltimore Sports Report. He graduated from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and now lives in enemy territory in New York City. Tejus is a diehard Orioles, Ravens, and Terps fan and is burdened by everlasting optimism about each of his favorite teams. Tejus’ favorite live sports experiences are Maryland’s upset of Duke in 2013 and Ed Reed’s 108-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Eagles in 2004.

Tejus Kulkarni , he was in line in Boston when Francona was dismissed and the staff let go after that incident. He managed Pawtucket and helped develop a lot of players in that organization which is top of the food chain in player development.

It will be a mistake not keeping Buck as the manager. Cant people remember the clowns we had during the 12 years before him ? Stop blaming Buck for the inflexible team that dd put together. At one point we had 4 dh/ 1b on the active roster Davis, Trumbo, Alvarez and Mancini. .

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